Dhyan Chand, (born August 29, 1905, Allahabad, India—died December 3, 1979, Delhi), Indian field hockey player who was considered to be one of the greatest players of all time.
Chand is most remembered for his goal-scoring feats and for his three Olympic gold medals (1928, 1932, and 1936) in field hockey, while India was dominant in the sport. He joined the Indian army in 1922 and came to prominence when he toured New Zealand with the army team in 1926. After playing in the 1928 and 1932 Olympic Games, Chand captained the Indian team at the 1936 Games in Berlin, scoring three goals in the 8–1 defeat of Germany in the final match. During India’s victorious world tour of 1932, he scored 133 goals. Known as “the Wizard” for his superb ball control, Chand played his final international match in 1948, having scored more than 400 goals during his international career.
Major Dhyan Chand, widely regarded as the greatest player in Indian Hockey, represented India in the 1928, 1932, and 1936 Olympics, winning a gold medal on all three occasions. He played internationally from 1926 to 1949. Notably, his birthday on August 29 is celebrated as the National Sports Day of India. On this day every year, the highest sports honor Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna, and Dronacharya awards are announced for excellence in sports. In 1956, Dhyan Chand was also honoured with the Padma Bhushan award.
After the bronze medal win of India's men's hockey team and also the outstanding performance of the women's team, thousands of citizens have been requesting through social media to pay tribute to the legend for his major contribution to hockey. Citing citizen's requests, PM Narendra Modi on August 6, Friday made the announcement of renaming the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.
